Read more of Fran Spielman's wisdom Chicago City Workers.

Daley wants to get rid of the two laborers behind the filthy Chicago Garbage Trucks. Would goons like Daley would want illegal aliens to perform the task? Maybe if Mayor Daley looks into the way his pals run their phony scam trucking companies, he will find some real short-cuts. Tell mayor Daley to ask his friends about the millions of dollars they make with phony minority companies, not paying prevailing wages. Remember, companies that scam the workers make millions of dollars. You just need unions to go along with it, and political leadership cut into the "Deal". Read below and learn. Patrick McDonough

Building a lean waste-fighting machine
GOVERNMENT | Panel aims to help city accomplish more with less

August 24, 2007
BY FRAN SPIELMAN City Hall Reporter/fspielman@suntimes.com
If Chicago ever makes radical changes in the way basic city services are delivered -- like privatizing garbage collection and water filtration plants or eliminating three employees on a garbage truck -- Mayor Daley will need political cover.
He got it Thursday from the 21st Century Commission.

It's a new group of two dozen business, academic and civic leaders appointed by the mayor to take a fresh look at the "scope and structure" of local government with an eye toward re-ordering priorities, consolidating services and doing more with less.

Co-chaired by newly appointed Budget Director Bennett Johnson and by Daley's former deputy chief of staff turned-insurance company executive Sarah Pang, the commission will search for overlapping services at all government agencies, including City Hall, the CTA, Park District, Chicago Public Schools and City Colleges.

A final report will be due back in one year, with pro-bono support from the Civic Consulting Alliance, formerly known as the Financial Research Advisory and Committee. Short-term ideas could be incorporated into Daley's 2008 budget.

"Do we really need each separate city department to do our work or can they be consolidated, reorganized or redefined? . . . Are all the services government provides today services people really need? Do we need to provide new services?" the mayor asked. "You have to look at it. If you don't, then government just gets stale."

Daley steered clear of what his chief-of-staff called "the P word"--privatization--that's long been a sore point with organized labor and its City Council allies.

But, privatization of basic city services is clearly on the agenda on the heels of the $2.4 billion city windfall generated by leasing the Chicago Skyway and downtown parking garages, said Civic Federation President Laurence Msall, a commission member.

"There are other opportunities out there, including garbage collection and recycling, to -- potentially -- the city's water filtration plants." Msall said.

Comments

Sure, privatize everything, including the mayor's job and the rubber-stamp city council.

I'll bet we, the citizens, could hire someone to be the mayor, for much less than the 6 figure salary richie pulls down, and, what the hell do we need aldermen for, anyway?

Hell, what do we need a mayor for?

Just hire a city manager, to oversee the essential services we'll be having all those immigrants, here to build their own American Dream, perform, and we can all learn how to speak Spanish, Korean, Hindi, Chinese, Arabic, etc., so we can communicate with the new breed of cops, firemen, garbage collectors, clerks, building inspectors, etc.....

Some of our fellow citizens will be way ahead of the game on this one....

I guess being a public official – politician is a license to abuse the public confidence and take bribes and kickbacks. I think any public official who abuses his power and takes bribes, kickbacks and influence should get the full punishment the law can give and in an expedited manner.
It is time public officials should abide by the law do their job honestly and build the public trust and confidence.
Public officials should know that public office is not for sale under no circumstances.
The committee for honest government.

How come the City of Chicago is allowing an Energy company in Skokie, Illinois to collect City of Chicago taxes on natural gas for over 15 years without paying any of it to the city or refunding it to the customers. Maybe someone has clout - a former Federal judge was part owner in that company.

I need you help ! I have a problem the developer don't want to fix my new house. I have rain in my house in a small room. I try call them but they never call back. I have picture if you want to see it. I could email it to you. My telephone number is (312) 744-6205. Thank You !

(Response) You go it all Wong!! I mean wrong. Ding Dong my Wong, Sing a song.